Make Pre-Packaged Crab Meat Taste First-Day Fresh With This Easy Tip

Pre-packaged crab meat is one of the most convenient and affordable ways to add seafood to your meals. There's no mess involved, it's already cooked, and there's plenty of great brands to pick from. But one downside is that it can sometimes come with a fishy taste or smell, making the food feel less than fresh. So here's a simple trick to bring it back to life: Give your crab meat a milk bath.

Soaking the meat in milk will allow the dairy proteins to bind to the fishy compounds in the crab. The latter are then rinsed off,giving you the freshest seafood possible. Plus, while milk can tenderize meat, it is gentle enough not to break down the delicate crab protein when soaked. To restore its first-day freshness, simply place the crab in a bowl and fully submerge it in milk. You can refrigerate it for a minimum of 20 minutes or overnight (this will yield better results), before rinsing off and patting thoroughly dry.

Even if you're soaking the crab meat in milk, rinsing it under water first is a good idea. This helps remove any preservatives, as well as any overly salty or acidic elements, giving you the freshest flavor possible. Before serving the crab meat, make sure to quickly run through it with your fingers, since it sometimes contains small shell fragments. If using the meat for dips or crab cakes, be sure to dry it well after the milk bath — excess moisture can make the mixture watery and affect binding.

When mixing the crab meat into a recipe, it's also important to fold it in gently, since this helps keep the lumps intact; over-stirring will leave you with a mushy texture. And remember, pre-packaged crab meat comes fully cooked, so either use gentle heat or add it in the last few minutes of cooking to avoid overcooking it, which can lead to dry or rubbery results. So the next time you're cooking with pre-packaged crab, give it a milk bath for that first-day fresh flavor — you won't be disappointed.